Enjoy!
Meditation May Not Be Giving You the Creative Spark You Think It Does: In this 4 minute video, Scott Barry Kaufman, Ph.D. Clinical Psychologist, presents the argument that the ability to focus doesn't necessarily relate to creativity; rather we need to extend our mindfulness to "go back in and make meaning out of that experience" that we're experiencing/observing in the external world.
For me, this concept really speaks to the limitation of "single-point focus" as the definition of meditation, and why I personally don't practice it. I prefer my "wabi-sabi" meditation as a dynamic integration of both internal and external states. When I was first exposed to meditation, I thought to do it "correctly" I had to focus on a mantra or your breath or an image. However, that came to feel oppressive, so I quit. However, whenever I sat and allowed myself to wander my body/mind without restraint, my meditation experiences became more powerful and more restorative ... and more inviting.
It took me awhile to outright reject what I understood to be "traditional" meditation practices. Although I don't implement the journalling element of his work, Jason Siff's book Unlearning Meditation helped me wash away whatever residue of meditation instruction remained, so that I could commit to a daily practice that is full and rich with inner and outer resonance, embark on a journey akin to metaphysical whitewater rafting.
I hope as more people experiment with meditation, more open-minded concepts of what meditation is and what it can achieve will flourish.
If you'd like to submit a link for a Friday post, please email me at Heidi _ g @ comcast . net, thanks!
